AiSHWARYA Rai portrays two vastly contrasting characters in her latest films, Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2. Umrao Jaan is a period drama in which the 33-year-old former Miss World takes on the title role of a demure courtesan.


Dhoom 2, on the contrary, is an action flick that has the leading lady in an edgy role as a thief alongside Hrithik Roshan - her first time working on a film with the star of the recent superhero hit Krrish.


Appearing in both movies are Abhishek Bachchan, the man hotly tipped to be Ash’s future husband.


Ash talks about her latest roles:


You’ll give audiences a culture shock when you go from the traditional Umrao Jaan to the hip-and-cool Dhoom 2 within a short time.


i don’t play the typical “Mona Darling” in Dhoom 2. i play this petty thief who thinks she’s pretty cool and very smart - a sassy girl who wants to be among the action guys.


There are high expectations of Dhoom 2. interestingly, my acting career has largely been devoted to traditionally indian roles. And i do love being in a sari. i find it very comfortable. And i’ve worn it at both national and international events with great pride.


You’ve made the sari fashionable at international events. Even Oprah Winfrey wore it (Ash was a guest on the famous talk show of the American host last year.)


That was too much, wasn’t it? Yes, i’ve worn the sari, even to Cannes when i went there with Sanjay Bhansali and Shah Rukh (Khan) for Devdas. Strangely when i came in through the modelling-Miss World route, people presumed i’d fit into Westernised roles.


To my delight most of my roles, from my first film iruvar to Umrao Jaan, have been very, very indian. And i’m proud of it. But now Dhoom 2 gives me a chance to be more cosmopolitan on screen. i like that as well.


Was it difficult to shift into the Dhoom mode after acting in Umrao?


Not at all. in fact i’m again very, very indian in my post-Dhoom release, Guru. The varied roles are a blessing. it doesn’t happen very often in this industry, and certainly not to us female actors. i’ve tried to remain versatile from the start of my career. But wanting something isn’t the same as getting it - opportunities like Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2, Guru and now Jodha Akbar. it’s very flattering to know that directors like J.P. (Dutta), Mani (Ratnam) and Ashutosh (Gowariker) consider me for such hugely challenging parts.


Hrithik thinks the two of you make the best-looking couple.


That’s very sweet of him. The audience will have to decide how good we look together. But i certainly enjoyed working with Hrithik. Yes, at one time there was a hesitation about casting us together because we were said to have similar skin tones and eyes. But when we finally shot together, everything just fell into place.


On the first day of Dhoom, a deafening silence fell over the set at the end of our shoot. Then Sanjay Gadhvi (the director) came up to us and said: “Everybody is stunned. You guys are looking great together.”


Would you say Abhishek and Hrithik are very different in their approach to their roles?


i had worked with Hrithik earlier, during a world tour. Hrithik himself says he has loosened up a lot since then. He had lots of fun in Dhoom 2. As for Abhishek, i’ve known him much, much longer. He’s always having fun on the sets. it relaxes him and makes the working atmosphere far more convivial.





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